Apparatus and method for gripping a container

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for grasping a jar and aiding in lid opening includes a base element that may be placed on a surface, and a top housing that is rotatably secured to the base element. The top housing includes a raised outer periphery having at least one recess extending at least partially through the raised outer periphery, each recess allowing an increased maximum outward movement of a corresponding movable jaw member compared to a raised outer periphery lacking the recess.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This patent application claims the benefit of United Stated ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/905,693 entitled APPARATUS AND METHOD FORGRIPPING A CONTAINER filed Sep. 25, 2019 and claims the benefit ofUnited Stated Provisional Patent Application No. 62/913,456 entitledAPPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GRIPPING A CONTAINER filed Oct. 10, 2019, eachof which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The subject matter of this patent application is related to the subjectmatter of the following commonly-owned patent applications, each ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/296,479 entitled APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR GRIPPING A CONTAINER DURING LID OPENING filed Oct. 18, 2016;and

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/296,502 entitled APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR GRIPPING A CONTAINER FOR LID OPENING filed Oct. 18, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to opening container lids, and moreparticularly to devices and methods that grasp a container during lidopening.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many food products are packaged, shipped and purchased in glass orplastic jars with a screw-on lid that needs to be removed in order toaccess the contents of the jar. In order to maintain the freshness andcleanliness of the product within the container, the lids are oftentimes thoroughly tightened and sometimes vacuum sealed. This, in turn,makes the lids difficult to remove. The struggle to remove the lid isgreater for those individuals suffering from arthritis or dexterityissues, and the task of holding the container in one hand and twistingoff the very tight lid becomes very difficult if not nearly impossible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Those skilled in the art should more fully appreciate advantages ofvarious embodiments of the invention from the following “Description ofIllustrative Embodiments,” discussed with reference to the drawingssummarized immediately below.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a perspective view of a container grippingdevice in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a top view of the container gripping deviceof FIG. 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container gripping device ofFIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a spiral guide element of the jaw grippingdevice of FIG. 1, in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically show top and bottom perspective views ofan exemplary jaw element, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 6A-6D schematically show top, front, bottom and side views of anexemplary jaw element, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 schematically shows the container gripping device of FIG. 1 withthe jaw elements partially moved in, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8 schematically shows the container gripping device of FIG. 1 witha container placed on the device, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 schematically shows the container gripping device of FIG. 1 witha container placed on the device and held in place with a user openingthe lid, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 10A to 10D schematically show an alternative container grippingdevice, in accordance with additional embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 11A to 11C schematically show a container gripping device with analternative counter brace, in accordance with additional embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing various recess configurations andplacements, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 13A-C are annotated photographs showing a portion of a prototypetop housing 120 including a partially-extending recess positioned toallow a greater range of motion of a jaw member, in accordance with oneexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an annotated photograph showing the original outer wall ofthe original container gripping device and a theoretical outer wall of areduced size container gripping device having a recess, in accordancewith one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an annotated photograph showing an exemplary embodiment inwhich each jaw member is secured to the ridge using a back plateattached by two screws, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 16 is an annotated photograph showing the top portion of analternative jaw member lacking a wide top portion and protruding throughthe slot in the top housing, in accordance with one exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 17 is an annotated photograph showing a top perspective view of thealternative jaw member of FIG. 16 including integral back plate and holeas well as a bottom perspective view of the engagement face assemblyincluding the engagement face cover installed over the engagement facebody, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 18 is an annotated photograph showing a side perspective view ofthe alternative jaw member of FIG. 16 including integral back plate andscrew passing through hole as well as a bottom perspective view of theengagement face assembly including the engagement face cover installedover the engagement face body, in accordance with one exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 19 is an annotated photograph showing a bottom view of thealternative jaw member of FIG. 16 inserted into the engagement faceassembly prior to securing the two pieces together using the screw, inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an annotated photograph showing a back perspective view ofthe configuration shown in FIG. 19 having the alternative jaw memberinserted into the engagement face assembly.

FIG. 21 is an annotated photograph showing a bottom view of the tophousing with two alternative jaw members installed in respective slots,in accordance with one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing top, left side, back, front,right side, bottom, and front perspective views of the alternative jawmember in accordance with the embodiments described above.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing top, left side, back, front,right side, bottom, and front perspective views of the engagement facebody in accordance with the embodiments described above.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing top, left side, back, front,right side, bottom, and front perspective views of the engagement facecover in accordance with the embodiments described above.

It should be noted that the foregoing figures and the elements depictedtherein are not necessarily drawn to consistent scale or to any scale.Unless the context otherwise suggests, like elements are indicated bylike numerals.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

For purposes of this description and accompanying claims, a “container”can be anything to be secured in the container gripping apparatus, suchas, for example, a jar, bottle, can, etc. A container may, but is notrequired to, have a removable or openable lid, such as, for example, ascrew-off or twist-off lid (e.g., a jar lid), a pop-off lid (e.g., asoda bottle cap), a pry-off lid (e.g., a paint can lid), a pull-tab orpop-top opener (e.g., an aluminum can lid), etc.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/296,479 entitled APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR GRIPPING A CONTAINER DURING LID OPENING filed Oct. 18, 2016,which was incorporated by reference above, describes a containergripping apparatus having a top housing that is rotatable relative to abase for moving one or more jaw members to engage or disengage with thecontainer, where the top housing has a raised outer periphery thatprovides a surface by which the user may grab and rotate the tophousing. Embodiments of the present invention provide an improvedcontainer gripping apparatus that utilizes a specially-configured tophousing in which the raised outer periphery includes recesses positionedto allow the movable jaw member(s) a greater outward range of motion andto provide enhanced grip locations for the user. For a given raisedouter periphery size, the specially-configured top housing can allow thecontainer gripping apparatus to accommodate a larger container.Alternatively, for a given jaw member range of motion (and hence a givenmaximum accommodated container size), the specially-configured tophousing can allow the use of a smaller raised outer periphery diameter(and hence a reduced-size container gripping apparatus that can beconfigured to take up less space on a counter or in a drawer). In anycase, the recesses in the specially-configured raised outer peripherycan provide for enhanced gripping by the user such as by accommodatingthe user's thumbs/fingers to provide additional leverage for rotatingthe top housing.

In order to demonstrate the distinctions and advantages of thespecially-configured top housing, certain prior art embodimentsdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/296,479 are nowdescribed. FIG. 1 schematically shows one illustrative embodiment of acontainer gripping and securing device 100 having three movable jawmembers. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container gripping device 100includes a base 110 that, when the device 100 is in use, rests on asurface (e.g., a kitchen countertop, table, desk, etc.) on which theuser wishes to open the container. The base 110 may include a number offeatures that stabilize the device 100 on the surface and prevent thedevice 100 from moving as the user operates the device 100 and/orremoves the lid from the container. For example, as best shown in FIG.3, the base 110 may include a number of feet 114 (e.g., two, three,four, five or more than five feet) located on the bottom of the base110. The feet 114 (e.g., engagement members) may be rubber (or similarmaterial) such that when the device 100 is resting on the kitchensurface, the feet 114 may grip the surface and prevent the device 100from sliding/rotating. Additionally or alternatively, the base 110 mayinclude other types of engagement members such as, for example, one ormore vacuum or suction cups or a clamp to prevent the device 100 frommoving during use.

Residing on top of the base 110, the device 100 may have a top housing120 that provides a surface 130 on which the container to be openedmaybe placed. As discussed above, the housing 120 has a raised outerperiphery 125. Among other things, this raised outer periphery 125provides a surface by which the user may grab the device 100 and alsohelps to prevent any container sitting on the surface 130 from slidingoff the device 100 and onto the floor, countertop, table, etc.

As discussed in greater detail below, the top housing 120 may rotateabout an axis and with respect to the base portion 110 to adjust thelocation of the jaw members 140A/140B/140C to grasp and hold thecontainer in place. To that end, and as best shown in FIG. 3, the tophousing 120 may have projection 122 that extends from an inner surfaceof the top housing and toward the base member 110. This projection 122may be placed over a protrusion or screw member 112 extending upwardfrom (and/or through) the base member 110 to hold the top housing 120 inplace on the base member 110, but still allow the top housing 120 torotate freely with respect to the base member 110 (e.g., the base member110 remains stationary as the top housing 120 is rotated).

Within the interior of the device 100 (e.g., between the base member 110and the top housing 120), the device 100 includes a spiral guide member160 that is secured to the base member 110. As best shown in FIG. 4, thespiral guide member 160 is a disk-like member and in this example has aplurality of spiral shaped guide channels 162/164/166 (e.g., one foreach jaw member 140A/B/C) within the top surface 161 of the guide member160. As discussed in greater detail below, the spiral guide member 160and corresponding channels 162/164/166 interact with the jaw members140A/140B/140C to cause the jaw members 140A/140B/140C to move radiallyinward and outward (e.g., toward and away from a container placed on thedevice 100) as a user rotates the top housing 120. To allow theprojection 122 of the top housing 120 to pass through spiral guidemember 160, the guide member 160 may have a through hole 168 near thecenter. The through hole 168 should be large enough to allow the tophousing 120 and the projection to freely rotate without interferencefrom the guide member 160.

As mentioned above, to grasp the container and hold it in place, thedevice 100 may include a number of jaw members 140A/140B/140C that, asdiscussed in greater detail below, reside within slots 150A/150B/150C inthe top housing 120. The jaw members 140A/B/C are able to move back andforth within the slots (e.g., radially inward and outward with respectto the center of the top housing) in order to accommodate for variouscontainer sizes. As shown in FIGS. 3A/3B and FIGS. 4A-D, each of the jawmembers 140A/140B/140C may have a body portion 141 that defines theoverall structure of the jaw member 140A/140B/140C. Extending upwardfrom the body portion 141, the jaw member 140A/140B/140C may have anengagement face 144 that acts to contact/engage the container to holdthe container in place. To increase the friction between the jaw member140A/140B/140C and the container, the engagement face 144 may include aresilient member 146 (FIGS. 1 and 5). For example, the engagement face144 may have an opening 143 in which the resilient member 146 (FIGS. 1and 5) may reside. Alternatively, the resilient member 146 may besecured to the engagement face 144 via adhesive or other securementmethod. As discussed in greater detail below, as the jaw members140A/140B/140C begin to make contact with the container, the resilientmembers 146 will begin to deform to more securely hold the container inplace.

To facilitate the interaction with each of the slots 150A/B/C, each ofthe jaw members 140A/140B/140C includes a ridge 147 along a length ofthe underside of the body portion 142. When assembled with the tophousing 120, this ridge 147 sits within the slot 150A/B/C for therespective jaw member 140A/140B/140C. To secure the jaw member140A/140B/140C to the top housing 120, the ridge 147 may include one ormore threaded holes 149 in which a screw 148 (FIG. 3) may be threaded.As noted above, the jaw members 140A/140B/140C move radially inward andoutward along the slots 150A/B/C. Therefore, the slots 150A/B/C and theridge 147 should be sized to allow some clearance between the outer wallof the ridge 147 and the inner wall of the slot 150A/B/C. Additionally,when inserting the screw 148 into the threaded hole 149, the screw 148should be left loose enough such that it does not bind the jaw 140A/B/Cto the top housing 120 and prevent the jaw 140A/B/C from sliding.

Also, on the underside of the body portion 141, each of the jaw members140A/B/C has a protrusion 145 (e.g., a post member) that extendsdownward from the jaw member 140A/B/C and through the slot 150A/B/C. Asbest shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B and 6B, the protrusion 145 extends furtherthan the ridge 147. As discussed in greater detail below, the protrusion145 of each of the jaw members 140A/B/C resides within one of the ofspiral shaped guide channels 162/164/166 of the spiral guide member 160to cause each of the jaw members 140A/B/C to move radially inward and/oroutward during use.

During use, to adjust the location of the jaw members 140A/B/C, the usermay rotate the top housing 120. As the top housing 120 rotates, the jawmembers 140A/B/C (which as discussed above are secured to the tophousing 120) will rotate with the top housing 120 and the protrusion 145will move along within the respective guide channel 162/164/166 of theguide member 160. This, in turn, will cause the jaw members 140A/B/C tomove radially inward or outward (e.g., within the slot 150A/B/C) withrespect to the center of the device 100 (e.g., with respect to the axisof rotation) depending on the direction of rotation of the top housing120. For example, if the top housing is moved in a first direction(e.g., counter clockwise), the protrusion 145 will follow the respectiveguide channel 162/164/166 toward the center of the spiral guide member160 and the jaw members 140A/B/C will move radially inward (see FIG. 7which shows the jaw members 140A/B/C moved partially inward afterrotation of the top housing 120). Conversely, if the top housing 120 ismoved in the opposite direction (e.g., clockwise), the protrusion 145will follow the respective guide channel 162/164/166 away from thecenter of the spiral guide member 160 and the jaw members 140A/B/C willmove radially outward (e.g., back to the position shown in FIG. 1).

It is important to note that, although the direction of rotation to movethe jaw members 140A/B/C inward and outward may vary (e.g., in someembodiments a counter clockwise rotation may cause the jaw members140A/B/C to move inward and in other embodiments a clockwise rotationmay cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to move inward), in some embodimentsit may be preferable to set the direction based on the rotationalmovement required to open and/or close the lid on the container. Forexample, in order to ensure that the jaw members 140A/B/C do not loosenwhen twisting of the lid, in some embodiments, it may be preferable toset the direction of rotation to move the jaw members 140A/B/C radiallyinward (e.g., to tighten the jaw members 140A/B/C) to becounter-clockwise. Therefore, in such embodiments, as the user begins totwist off the container lid, any force applied to the device will onlycause the jaw members 140A/B/C to tighten on the container as opposed toloosen.

FIGS. 7 through 9 show the device 100 at various stages of operation anduse (e.g., to open ajar lid). As shown in FIG. 7, in order to minimizethe amount the top housing 100 has to be rotated after placing thecontainer 300 on the device 100, the user may optionally rotate the tophousing 120 to bring the jaw members 140A/B/C closer to the center ofthe device 100, but not so much as to prevent the container 300 frombeing placed on the top housing surface 130. The user may then place thecontainer 300 on the surface 130 of the top housing 120 (FIG. 8) andcontinue rotating the top housing 120 until the jaw members 140A/B/Cengage the base of the container 300. In particular, when the jawmembers 140A/B/C begin to engage the base of the container 300, theresilient member 146 located on the engagement face 144 will contact thewall of the container 300 and begin to deform. As the top portion 120rotates further, the resilient members 144 will deform further until thejaw members 140A/B/C have a firm grasp on the container 300. At thispoint, the container 300 is secured in place, the jaw members 140A/B/Cprevent the container 300 from rotating, and the user is free to removethe lid to open the container 300.

It should be noted that, because the device 100 securely grasps andholds the container 300 and the device 100 remains stationary on thekitchen surface, the user is free to use one or both hands to remove thelid 310. This may be particularly beneficial for individuals witharthritis and/or low dexterity as the user no longer needs to manipulatethe container 300 with one hand and turn the lid 310 with the other.

After removing the lid 310 from the container 300, the user may simplyreverse the process to remove the container 300 from the device. Forexample, after the lid 310 is removed, the user may rotate the tophousing 120 in the opposite direction (e.g., clockwise). This, in turn,will cause the jaw members 140A/B/C to disengage from the container 300and begin to move radially outward away from the center of the device100 and the container 300. Once the jaw members 140A/B/C are movedsufficiently far away, the user may then remove the container 300 fromthe device to access to contents of the container 300.

It should be noted that, although FIG. 1 shows a device 100 having threejaw members 140A/B/C, other embodiments may have more or less jawmembers 140A/B/C. For example, some embodiments may have less than threejaw members 140A/B/C (e.g., two) or more than three jaw members 140A/B/C(e.g., four, five, six, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, not all ofthe jaw members 140A/B/C need to move as the top housing 120 rotates.For example, in some embodiments, the container gripping apparatus maybe configured with a single movable jaw member and one or morestationary jaw members, or the container gripping apparatus may beconfigured with two opposing movable curved (e.g., C-shaped) jaw membersthat move as the top housing 120 rotates.

FIGS. 10A through 10D show an alternative embodiment of the containergripping and securing device 100 with additional structures to aid instabilizing the device 100 on surface (e.g., the kitchensurface/counter) during use. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 10Athrough 10C, the device 100 may have leg members 330A/330B that extendout and downward from the base 110. For example, each of the leg members330A/330B may have a horizontal portion 331A/B and a vertical portion332A/B. The horizontal portion 331A/B extends out from the base 110 andlies along the top 342 of the surface 340 (e.g., the kitchen counter) onwhich the device 100 sits. The vertical portion 332A/B contacts the edge344 of the surface 340. In this manner, the horizontal portion 331A/B ofthe leg members 330A/330B allow the device 100 (e.g., the base 110 andtop housing 120) to be located away from the edge 344, while thevertical portions 332A/B engage the edge 344 of the kitchen surface(e.g., the edge of the countertop) during use to prevent the device 100from slipping and/or rotating (e.g., when the top housing 120 is rotatedand/or the container lid 320 removed).

For example, in embodiments containing the leg members 330A/330B, whenthe top housing 120 is rotated in a clock-wise direction, leg member330A (e.g., the vertical portion 332A) will be forced against the edge344 of the countertop 340 to prevent the device 100 from rotating.Conversely, when the top housing 120 is rotated in the counter clockwisedirection (or the lid 320 is being removed), leg member 330B (e.g.,vertical portion 332B) will be forced against the edge 344 of thecountertop 340 to prevent the device 100 from rotating. It should benoted that, to further prevent the device 100 from rotating, the usermay position their body against the non-engaging leg member (e.g., legmember 330B during clockwise rotation and leg member 330A duringcounterclockwise rotation) to hold the device 100 against the edge ofthe surface/counter. To prevent damage to the surface 340 (e.g., the top342 and/or the edge 344 of the surface 340), the leg members 330A/330Bmay include padding (not shown) on the leg surfaces contacting thecountertop/surface 340.

To prevent the leg members 330A/330B from accidentally being damaged andallow the device 100 to be easily moved (e.g., away from the edge of thecounter), in some embodiments, the leg members 330A/330B may beremovable and/or retractable.

For example, the legs members 330A/330B may be clipped on and off thebase 110 as needed. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10D, the base 110may include recessed areas 115A/B into which the leg members 330A/330Bmay fold-up and/or retract. In such embodiments, the leg members330A/330B may be spring loaded such that they automatically retract intothe recessed areas 115A/B and may include a hinge between the horizontalportions 331A/331B and vertical portions 332A/332B to allow the legmembers 330A/B to be folded out. To that end, when the user wishes touse the device 100, they may pull the leg members 330A/B out from therecessed areas 115A/B, fold out the vertical portions 332A/332B andplace the device 100 on the counter 340 such that the vertical portions332A/332B engage the edge 342 of the counter and the horizontal portions331A/B rest on the top surface of the counter 340. Conversely, when theuser is done and seeks to move or put the device away (e.g., within adrawer), the user may simply lift the device 100 and the spring willcause the leg members 330A/B to automatically retract into the recessedareas 115A/B.

FIGS. 11A to 11C schematically show a container gripping device with analternative counter brace 400 for stabilizing the device 100 on thecounter 340. As shown, the counter brace 400 may be an L-shapedstructure that secures to the base 110 of the device 100. The brace 400may be made from any number of rigid materials, for example, a rigidplastic, wood, metal, etc. and may be removably secured to the base 110(e.g., so that it can be removed when the device 100 is not in use) orpermanently secured to the base 110. Like the leg members 330A/Bdiscussed above, during use, the horizontal portion 410 of the brace 400may rest on the top surface 342 of the counter 340 and the verticalportion 420 of the brace 400 may rest against/engage the edge 344 of thecounter 340 to keep the device 100 stationary while the top housing 120is rotated and/or the container lid 320 is being removed. To protect thecounter 340 from damage, both the horizontal and vertical portions ofthe brace 400 may include padding.

To secure the brace 400 to the device, the brace 400 may include anumber of post members 430 that extend up from horizontal surface 410 ofthe brace 400. Additionally, the base 110 of the device 100 may includea number of holes 350 (FIG. 11C) that correspond to each of the postmembers 430. Therefore, to secure the brace 400 to the device 100, theuser may simply place the device 100 onto the brace 400 such that eachof the post members 430 enters a respective hole 350 in the base 100. Itshould be noted that the post members 430 and the holes 350 may havesmooth surfaces (e.g., they are not threaded) such that the post members430 can easily slide into and out of the holes 350 as needed.Alternatively, the post members 430 and the holes 350 may be threaded.In such embodiments, to secure the brace 400 to the device 100, the usermay thread/screw the post members 430 into each of the holes 350.

It should be noted that, although FIG. 11B shows a rigid brace 400,other embodiments may include a hinge located between the horizontalportion 410 and the vertical portion 420 to allow the brace 400 to befolded and stored more easily. For example, the brace 400 can include astandard hinge(s), low-profile hinge(s), or living hinge(s) between thehorizontal portion 410 and the vertical portion 420. To that end, whenthe device 100 is not in use, the user may remove the brace 400, fold itup, and store the brace 400 in a drawer, for example.

It is also worth noting that, although FIGS. 11A to 11C show the postmembers 430 extending up from the brace 400 and into the device 100,other configurations are possible. For example, in some embodiments, thepost members may extend down from the device 100 (e.g., from the base110) and into holes within the brace 400 (e.g., within the horizontalportion 410). However, in such embodiments, it is preferable that thepost members do not extend too far from the base 110 to ensure that thedevice 100 can sit flat on the counter 340 when secured to the brace400. To that end, it may be preferable that the length of the postmembers extending down from the base 100 not exceed the thickness of thehorizontal portion 410 of the brace 400 to ensure that the post membersdo not poke out from the bottom of the horizontal portion 410.

It is important to note that the overall size of the device 100 shouldbe balanced against the range of container 300 sizes that the device 100is most likely to encounter and the counter space that the device 100will take up. For example, the device 100 should be large enough toaccommodate most typical container sizes (e.g., 1.5″ diameter to 5″diameter containers) but not so large as to take up a large amount ofcounter or drawer space and/or not be able to fit into a drawer.Additionally or alternatively, when not being used to open containers300, the device 100 may be used to hold other objects such as, but notlimited to, vases, fruit bowls, decorative dishes, etc. In this manner,even when the device 100 remains on the countertop, the space occupiedby the device 100 is not wasted.

The substantial thickness or width of the raised outer periphery 125 ofthe container gripping devices shown in FIGS. 1-11 can assist withgripping and rotation of the top housing 120, but the inner wall of theraised outer periphery 125 also effectively limits the outward range ofmotion of the jaw member(s). As discussed above, embodiments of thepresent invention provide an improved container gripping apparatus thatutilizes a specially-configured top housing in which the raised outerperiphery includes recesses positioned to allow the movable jawmember(s) a greater outward range of motion and to provide enhanced griplocations for the user.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing various recess configurations andplacements, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention. A first type of recess 1210 extends partially through theraised outer periphery 125, whereas a second type of recess 1220 extendsfully through the raised outer periphery 125. As shown, both types ofrecesses 1210 and 1220 would allow a greater outward range of motion ofthe jaw members 140. Other types of recess configurations allowinggreater outward range of motion are possible. Typically, a recess ispositioned in line with each movable jaw member. Typically, all suchrecesses would be of the same type, e.g., all extending partiallythrough the raised outer periphery 125 such as recess 1210 or allextending fully through the raised outer periphery 125 such as recess1220, although this is not required. It should be noted that when themovable jaw members are out of the recesses (e.g., as the user rotatesthe top housing to grip the container), the recesses will be (or become)accessible to the user such as for enhanced gripping and rotationaltorque of the raised outer periphery.

Optionally, one or more additional recesses may be placed at otherpositions about the raised outer periphery 125, e.g., to provideadditional gripping locations. FIG. 12 shows a partially-extendingrecess 1211 positioned approximately half-way between jaw members 140Aand 140B and also shows a fully-extending recess 1221 positionedapproximately half-way between jaw members 140B and 140C. Again,typically, all such additional recesses would be of the same type, e.g.,all extending partially through the raised outer periphery 125 such asrecess 1211 or all extending fully through the raised outer periphery125 such as recess 1221, although this is not required. These additionalrecesses will be accessible to the user such as for enhanced grippingand rotational torque of the raised outer periphery.

FIGS. 13A-C show a portion of a prototype top housing 120 including apartially-extending recess positioned to allow a greater range of motionof a jaw member, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment. FIG. 13Ashows the jaw member at an intermediate location. FIG. 13B shows the jawmember substantially at the position it would occupy at the maximumoutward position if the raised outer periphery did not include a recess.FIG. 13C shows the jaw member at its increased maximum outward positiondue to the existence of the recess. As can be seen, without increasingthe overall size of the container gripping device compared to thecontainer gripping devices shown in FIGS. 1-11, the device representedin FIGS. 13A-C can accommodate larger containers due to the existence ofthe recess. Alternatively, for a given maximum outward jaw memberposition (e.g., the position of the jaw member in FIG. 13B asrepresenting the maximum outward position), the overall size of thecontainer gripping device can be reduced due to the existence of therecess, e.g., as depicted in FIG. 14, which shows the original outerwall 1410 of the original container gripping device and a theoreticalouter wall 1420 of a reduced size container gripping device having arecess 1430.

In any of the embodiments described herein, one or more surfaces of theraised outer periphery may include grip-enhancing features in order toenhance the ability of the user to grip the raised outer periphery androtate the top housing. Such grip-enhancing features may include, forexample, raised or recessed structures (e.g., a hatched surface) or agrip-enhancing material (e.g., rubber).

In any of the embodiments described herein, the resilient members 146 onthe jaw members 140 may include grip-enhancing features in order toenhance the ability of the jaw members 140 to grip the container. Forexample, the resilient members 146 may include ripples. It is expectedthat ripples would require less effort to tighten, where even a littletightening would compress the ripples and the motion of the containerduring opening would attempt to lift the ripples and consequently wouldcreate further friction. Other grip-enhancing features may include suchthings as suction cups, washable adhesive gel tape, or othergrip-enhancing features or materials.

Each jaw member 140 of the exemplary embodiments shown and describedabove with reference to FIGS. 1-11 includes a top portion 142 that iswider than the slot 150 and that rides along the top surface of the tophousing 120 as the jaw member 140 moves along the slot 150, with theridge 147 sitting within the slot 150 to facilitate the interaction ofthe jaw member 140 with the slot 150. To secure the jaw member 140 tothe top housing 120, the ridge 147 may include one or more threadedholes 149 in which a screw 148 (FIG. 3) may be threaded. In this way, asthe jaw member 140 moves along the slot 150, the top portion 142 ridesalong the top surface of the top housing 120 while the screw(s) 148 ridealong the bottom surface of the top housing 120, thereby essentially“sandwiching” the top surface of the top housing 120 between the topportion 142 of the jaw member 140 and the screw(s) 148. In order toprevent binding of the jaw member 140 to the top housing 120, thescrew(s) 148 may be left loose enough such that it does not bind the jawmember 140 to the top housing 120 and prevent the jaw member 140 fromsliding.

Therefore, in certain alternative embodiments, a back plate is securedto the ridge 147 using screws 148 such that the back plate, rather thanthe screw(s) 148, ride along the bottom surface of the top housing 120.FIG. 15 shows an exemplary embodiment in which each jaw member 140 issecured to the ridge 147 using a back plate 1502 attached by two screws148, although it should be noted that the back plate 1502 could beattached in other ways or could be integral with the ridge 147. FIG. 15Bis a bottom view of the top housing 120 with the jaw members 140 securedusing back plates 1502. FIG. 15A is a top view of the top housing 120with the jaw members 140 secured using back plates 1502. FIG. 15C is atop view of base 110. Generally speaking, the back plates 1502 slidemore smoothly along the bottom surface of the top housing 120 thanscrews 148 alone. Although the post member 145 separate from the backplate 1502 in this exemplary embodiment (e.g., attached to or integralwith the ridge 147), in certain alternative embodiments, the post member145 could be on the back plate 1502.

The inventor has found that in embodiments of the types shown anddescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1-11 and 15, the forces placedon the jaw members 140 during tightening onto the container can causethe jaw members 140 to place out-of-plane forces on the top of the tophousing 120 at locations where the top surface of the top housing 120 issandwiched between the top portion 142 of the jaw member 140 and thescrew(s) 148 or back plates 1502. Specifically, the portion of the jawmember 140 at the engagement face 144 end is forced downward while theopposite end of the jaw member ix) 140 is forced upward. Among otherthings, such out-of-plane forces could hinder the motion of the jawmember 140 within the slot 150 and in extreme cases could cause the topsurface of the top housing 120 to crack or require a thicker top housing120 in order to prevent such cracking.

Therefore, certain alternative embodiments omit the wide top portion 142that rides along the top surface of the top housing 120 as the jawmember 140 moves along the slot 150. FIG. 16 shows the top portion of analternative jaw member 1640 lacking a wide top portion and protrudingthrough the slot 150 in the top housing 120, in accordance with oneexemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, the alternative jawmember 1640 includes an integral back plate 1602 to secure thealternative jaw member 1640 in the top housing 120, although thealternative jaw member 1640 can be secured in the top housing 120 inother ways, e.g., using screws or a separate back plate as in some ofthe exemplary embodiments described above. Generally speaking, thisalternative jaw member 1640 is easier to install in the top housing 120than the jaw member 140 with wide top portion 142.

The alternative jaw member 1640 is configured to hold a separateengagement face assembly 1644. In this exemplary embodiment, theengagement face assembly 1644 includes an engagement face body and anengagement face cover (discussed in greater detail below). In FIG. 16,only the engagement face cover is visible, since the engagement facecover completely covers the engagement face body in this exemplaryembodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, the engagement face assembly1644 is attached to the alternative jaw member 1640 using a screw 1648that passes up through a hole 1649 in the alternative jaw member 1640and into a threaded slot in the engagement face body, although theengagement face assembly 1644 can be attached to the alternative jawmember 1640 in other ways. Other engagement face assembly 1644 types andconfigurations are possible.

FIG. 17 shows a top perspective view of the alternative jaw member 1640including integral back plate 1602 and hole 1649 as well as a bottomperspective view of the engagement face assembly 1644 including theengagement face cover 1704 installed over the engagement face body 1702,in accordance with one exemplary embodiment. As can be seen, in thisexemplary embodiment, the ridge 1647 of the alternative jaw member 1640fits into a corresponding slot in the bottom of the engagement face body1702 such that the hole 1649 through the alternative jaw member 1640aligns with the corresponding threaded slot 1706 in the engagement facebody 1702. Without limitation, the elongated shape of the ridge 1647helps to prevent or reduce twisting of the alternative jaw member 1640within the slot 150 and also helps to prevent or reduce twisting of theengagement face assembly 1644 on the alternative jaw member 1640. Itshould be noted that other ridge 1647 shapes/configurations can providesimilar connectivity and twist reduction properties, e.g., using twoseparate ridges spaced apart from one another.

FIG. 18 shows a side perspective view of the alternative jaw member 1640including integral back plate 1602 and screw 1649 passing through hole1649 as well as a bottom perspective view of the engagement faceassembly 1644 including the engagement face cover 1704 installed overthe engagement face body 1702, in accordance with one exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 19 shows a bottom view of the alternative jaw member 1640 insertedinto the engagement face assembly 1644 prior to securing the two piecestogether using the screw 1648, in accordance with one exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 20 shows a back perspective view of the configuration shown in FIG.19 having the alternative jaw member 1640 inserted into the engagementface assembly 1644.

FIG. 21 shows a bottom view of the top housing 120 with two alternativejaw members 1640 installed in respective slots 150, in accordance withone exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 22 shows top, left side, back, front, right side, bottom, and frontperspective views of the alternative jaw member 1640 in accordance withthe embodiments described above.

FIG. 23 shows top, left side, back, front, right side, bottom, and frontperspective views of the engagement face body 1702 in accordance withthe embodiments described above.

FIG. 24 shows top, left side, back, front, right side, bottom, and frontperspective views of the engagement face cover 1704 in accordance withthe embodiments described above.

As in the exemplary embodiments described above, the forces placed onthe alternative jaw members 1640 during tightening onto the containercan cause the alternative jaw members 1640 to deflect, although, withoutthe wide top portion 142, the alternative jaw members 1640 generally candeflect without or before placing undue stress and strain on the tophousing 120. The inventor therefore considers exemplary embodiments withthe alternative jaw members 1640 to have certain benefits over the priorembodiments having the wide top portion 142, both for ease ofinstallation and for resilience of the overall product.

Still, these deflections of the alternative jaw members 1640 can place adownward force on the spiral guide member 160 and can place an upwardforce on the bottom surface of the top housing 120, which in turn cancause some separation between the top housing 120 and the base 110 insome cases. In extreme cases, these deflections could pop the postmember 1645 of an alternative jaw member 1640 out of the spiral shapedguide channel 162/164/166 or even crack the top housing 120 or thespiral guide member 160, although the chances of incurring such damageare much less likely than in the previous embodiments having the widetop portion 142.

Thus, in certain exemplary embodiments, the engagement face assembly1644 is configured to be wider than the slot 150 and to rest slightlyabove the top surface of the top housing 120 (e.g., by between 0.01-0.25inches) so as to act as a “stop” or bumper in the event of excessivedeflection of the alternative jaw member 1640, without the engagementface assembly 1644 sliding along the top surface of the top housing 120during normal operation. In certain exemplary embodiments, theengagement face cover is made of a resilient material, which can providesome additional protection in the event the engagement face assembly1644 is called upon to act as a “stop” or bumper, providing some “give”if needed rather that acting as a rigid stop.

While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustratedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision avariety of other means and/or structures for performing the functionand/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantagesdescribed herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications isdeemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments describedherein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations describedherein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters,dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon thespecific application or applications for which the inventive teachingsis/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able toascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalentsto the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is,therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presentedby way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claimsand equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practicedotherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventiveembodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individualfeature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein.In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems,articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent,is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.

Various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, ofwhich examples have been provided. The acts performed as part of themethod may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments maybe constructed in which acts are performed in an order different thanillustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, eventhough shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood tocontrol over dictionary definitions, definitions in documentsincorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the definedterms.

The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in thespecification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to thecontrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.”

The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in theclaims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements soconjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some casesand disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with“and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” ofthe elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be presentother than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause,whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified.Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when usedin conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer,in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other thanB); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionallyincluding other elements); etc.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should beunderstood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. Forexample, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall beinterpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, butalso including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and,optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated tothe contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when usedin the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactlyone element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or”as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusivealternatives (i.e., “one or the other but not both”) when preceded byterms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or“exactly one of” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims,shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.

As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “atleast one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should beunderstood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more ofthe elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including atleast one of each and every element specifically listed within the listof elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the listof elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally bepresent other than the elements specifically identified within the listof elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether relatedor unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as anon-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “atleast one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) canrefer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including morethan one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements otherthan B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally includingmore than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elementsother than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionallyincluding more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including morethan one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.

In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitionalphrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are tobe understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limitedto. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consistingessentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases,respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual ofPatent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.

Although the above discussion discloses various exemplary embodiments ofthe invention, it should be apparent that those skilled in the art canmake various modifications that will achieve some of the advantages ofthe invention without departing from the true scope of the invention.Any references to the “invention” are intended to refer to exemplaryembodiments of the invention and should not be construed to refer to allembodiments of the invention unless the context otherwise requires. Thedescribed embodiments are to be considered in all respects only asillustrative and not restrictive.

What is claimed is:
 1. A container gripping apparatus comprising: a baseelement configured to be placed on a surface; a top housing rotatablysecured to the base element and configured to rotate about an axis withrespect to the base element; and at least one movable jaw member movablysecured to the top housing and configured to move radially outward whenthe top housing is rotated in a first direction relative to the baseelement, the top housing including a raised outer periphery having atleast one recess extending at least partially through the raised outerperiphery, each recess allowing an increased maximum outward movement ofa corresponding movable jaw member compared to a raised outer peripherylacking the recess, wherein: the top housing comprises, for each movablejaw member, a slot in which the jaw member slides; and each movable jawmember comprises: a ridge configured to reside within the slot; a bottomplate wider than the slot and coupled directly or indirectly to theridge and configured to slide along a bottom surface of the top housingabout the slot; a post member coupled directly or indirectly to theridge on a bottom of the jaw member and configured to engage with aspiral groove of the container gripping apparatus to slide the jawmember within the slot, the jaw member lacking a top plate that slidesalong a top surface of the top housing about the slot such that the jawmember can be positioned within the slot from the bottom of the tophousing and held within the container gripping apparatus by the postmember in the spiral shaped guide and the bottom plate; and a rigidengagement face body attached to the ridge using a screw that passesfrom the bottom of the ridge through a hole in the ridge into a threadedslot in the rigid engagement face body.
 2. A container grippingapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a spiral guideelement located between the base element and the top housing, the spiralguide element including at least one spiral groove, the post member ofeach movable jaw member located within a spiral groove and configured tomove along the spiral groove when the top housing is rotated.
 3. Acontainer gripping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the spiralguide element includes an opening extending there through, the tophousing having a protrusion extending downward and through the opening,thereby allowing the top housing to rotate about the axis and withrespect to the spiral guide element and the base member.
 4. A containergripping apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one spiralgroove includes a plurality of spiral grooves, the at least one movablejaw member includes a plurality of movable jaw members, and the postmember of each movable jaw member is located within a different one ofthe plurality of spiral grooves.
 5. A container gripping apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: at least one engagement memberlocated on the base element and configured to engage the surface,thereby holding the apparatus in place during rotation of the tophousing.
 6. A container gripping apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: at least one leg member extending from the base element andconfigured to engage an edge of the surface during rotation of the tophousing.
 7. A container gripping apparatus according to claim 1, whereineach jaw member includes a resilient member for grasping a container. 8.A container gripping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the firstdirection moving the at least one jaw member outward is clockwise.
 9. Acontainer gripping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: abrace member removably secured to the base element, the brace memberincluding a horizontal portion configured to rest on the surface and avertical portion configured to engage the edge of the surface, therebypreventing rotation of the device during use.
 10. A container grippingapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the brace member furtherincludes a hinge between the horizontal portion and the verticalportion, the hinge configured to allow the horizontal portion andvertical portion to move relative to one another.
 11. A containergripping apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a resilientengagement face cover disposed over the rigid engagement face body. 12.A container gripping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rigidengagement face body is configured to be wider than the slot and to restabove the top surface of the slot so as to act as a stop or bumper inthe event of excessive deflection of the jaw member, without the rigidengagement face body sliding along the top surface of the slot duringnormal operation.
 13. A container gripping apparatus according to claim1, wherein each recess extends fully through the raised outer periphery.14. A container gripping apparatus according to claim 1, comprising aplurality of movable jaw members and a corresponding plurality ofrecesses.